Unless you’re a die-hard loonie for Brad Pitt or you’re just fascinated by insidery-industry pieces, I wouldn’t really suggest reading the new cover story from The Hollywood Reporter. THR is all about 12 Years a Slave – which I totally want to see, of course – but more than that, the piece is all about Brad Pitt and how he’s an amazing producer and Plan B (his company) is the wave of the future. You can read the full piece here. I guess some gloating was in order, and everything has come together beautifully for Brad this year. He had two potential failures with World War Z and 12 Years a Slave, but both turned out beautifully. WWZ has made more than $500 million and 12 Years is a shoo-in for many Oscar nominations. After years of making artsy films that no one saw, Brad has finally come into his own as a producer. Which is the point of this story. Here are some highlights:

Brad on the criticism and bad press he received for WWZ and 12 Years: Pitt, rather than giving in to his critics, dug in his heels and thought, “Game on, f—ers.”

On a WWZ sequel: “We are talking about it,” says Pitt. “We are going to investigate a script. We have a lot of ideas we will cull from. Nobody is writing just yet, but we are compiling our ideas.”

Brad’s love of 1960s and ‘70s films: “I’m a fan of film first and was since I was a little boy sitting in Missouri,” he notes. “I go back to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and All the President’s Men. And Dr. Strangelove is still the funniest film I have ever seen.” As to more recent work, he adds: “There Will Be Blood is one of my absolute favorites; incredible, a whole film dedicated to someone’s hatred.”

Meeting Steve McQueen (director of 12 Years): “We met in London over a couple of bottles of wine,” recalls Pitt, “and ended up talking until the wee hours of the night about art and history — he was a video artist first.” (McQueen, 43, is a recipient of Britain’s Turner prize, its most prestigious award for an artist under age 50.)

Henry Louis Gates is a consultant on 12 Years!! The book, a best-seller that sold 27,000 copies when it was published in 1853, is one of a mere 101 “fugitive slave narratives” written before the Civil War, says Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates, a consultant on the film. Of those, only this one “is the narrative of a free man who was kidnapped and manages in this case to be liberated.”

Brad wants to be a producer more than an actor: “As I get older, I am enjoying more the producorial side of things — not being so forefront in the camera — the creativity of putting the pieces together.”

Plan B’s strategy: “We follow the storytellers, and our little garage band of a production company’s mandate was [always] to help complex films get over the hill if they need a little push. We are in a fortunate position to do that.”

Basically, Brad really wants an Oscar this year. And who knows, he might get it. I think there’s probably a better chance that Brad will get an Oscar for producing 12 Years rather than Chiwetel Ejiofor for Best Actor. That’s not a slam on Chiwetel – I just think that the buzz is about the whole movie rather than Chiwetel’s performance in particular. That being said, Michael Fassbender has been getting singled out a lot, hasn’t he? Unf. Please let Brad, Michael, Chiwetel, Idris Elba and Benedict Cumberbatch all get invitations to the Oscars! PLEASE.

Note by Celebitchy: banned multiple nicks (also see Emile Hirsch thread)
Brad irritates the sh*t out of me. And I would really rather see Chewitel, McQueen and Fassbender take home Oscars before him but lets be honest, he has the Academy eating out of his pocket for this one. I still thoroughly dislike him though.

Personally I’m still salty about WWZ being made when they weren’t even going to follow the damn book after they bought the rights to it. So I was hoping it would fail so people would learn not to screw over perfectly good books. But you know, people will see anything with this dude in it so…

Ugh. Like, I’m sure he’s not a horrible person, but I’m kind of squinty-eyed about everyone involved with this movie.

“Do you get upset with other movies that are adapted from books that don’t follow the book also?”

to LL: based on the fact that Side-Eye wrote “so people would learn not to screw over perfectly good books”, I’d say the answer to your questions is yes. Side-Eye also mentioned “everyone involved with this movie”, so I don’t think he/she is singling out Pitt as the culprit.

personally, I agree with the “don’t screw over good books” stance, but there are some movies that don’t follow the book very well and are good movies nonetheless. I haven’t read or seen WWZ, so I can’t attest to the adaptation.

More on topic: I also find it irritating when movies based on books do not follow the story arc or characterizations, too. The whole point of watching a book in a movie is to experience the story that you liked–not to watch some lame, fake interpretation.

A good example of this is Silver Linings Playbook. The movie is fine for what it is, but it is so far off the book that it is a different story altogether.

I am glad they bought the book and then made the movie they wanted to INSTEAD of just making the movie they wanted to and leaving the author out of the monetary rewards. By buying the book he is acknowledging that the book inspired his version and he PAID the author for that inspiration. He didn’t have to do that.

Berniece: WTF? What inspiration did he even take from the book? Zombies? His movie has absolutely nothing to do with the book and the many stories in the book. WWZ is so far off of the book that the only thing they have in common are zombies.

Pitt could have saved some money and let someone who wanted to do the book justice on screen buy the rights. Zombies aren’t copy-written ya know…

Completely agree with those that are upset about WWZ having nothing to do with the source material. I hope that somewhere down the line someone (pitt or someone else) actually adapts WWZ for a mini series. Brad’s movie was not bad but it absolutely wasn’t a thing to do with the book outside of the title.
I do not understand why certain celebs are considered inviolate to criticism on this site.

When people talk about an OSCAR for Brad re: TYAS we are talking about as the PRODUCER … not as an actor. His role is barely a cameo although pivotal. He took the role in order to get the $$$$$$ to make the film. It isn’t “either or” with Fassbender or Chewey. It is a different CATEGORY!!!!!!

I was not following his movies when he was young but now yes I am.
I did not even knew about angelina too, and now I am fan of both work.
I loved moneyball so much and inglorious bastards .
Angelina made me cry on changeling and salt was awesome, very simple movie but wasvery well done. The last seen when she hangs liev was great.

Waiting for 12 years a slave , I am so there.
I trust brad choices in film he pick them well.

“As I get older, I am enjoying more the producorial side of things — not being so forefront in the camera — the creativity of putting the pieces together.”

Yeah, sure, that totally rings true. It’s not like he just recently radically changed the plot of one of his films so he could play the previously non-existent lead. He doesn’t want to be at the forefront at all. And that’s why he’s letting the fabulous lead actors in 12 Years soak up all the glory while he takes a back-seat…oh wait.

But he didn’t need to agree to the magazine cover. His job as producer should be pushing for Chiwetel or McQueen to get the big profile in THR.

Last year you didn’t see George Clooney showing up at every premiere and scoring mag covers, ‘kindly’ inviting Ben Affleck along for the ride. In fact a lot of people only realised George was a producer on Argo when he got up on stage at the Oscars. He promoted the movie heavily behind the scenes, without taking anything away from Ben. That’s the way to play it.

12 Years has had a ton of buzz since it was announced, the actors and the director can sell the movie just fine. Brad isn’t promoting the film, he’s promoting himself, and this isn’t a film that needs that.

Kate you can say what you want. Without him and his company the film would not have been made period. As Steve said anyone can make a film. Doesn’t mean it gets seen. Same with 2 of Steve’s films Shame and Hunger.. Critically praised, but didn’t do well at the BO..

And you can say want you want your opinion.. he is one of the reason this film is getting praised.. not as an actor but a producer. Like it or not it is the truth.

Ben Affleck like Brad Pitt was the main producer and starred in Argo not George Clooney. Affleck was everywhere all year promoting Argo. This is Brad’s first interview. He has taken a backseat to the actors and directors.

I think you are not following 12 years a slave promotion closely.
Brad was in the picture only in the festivals as many producers do that.
Last month as fessi fan , he had 2 interviews , chiwetle and steve all had their special inteview and the focus was on them notbrad.
shading brad just because he have ajob to promot his film is not fair.
Google allcast interviews and you will know.

It rings true, though. He probably just casts himself for the extra money and to get his movies extra exposure. If he could get by on just producing, I think he would. Considering that he’s not a young’un anymore, he’d probably prefer to do less work than he does now. I can only imagine what a headache saving WWZ was.

As for his face- that’s the photoshop. I’ve come to the conclusion that basically 90% of shoopers in the industry need to be fired. The same goes for stylists.

As Steve McQueen has repeatedly stated the movie would not have been made without Brad’s involvement as producer and his minor role in film.Brad has stepped back and let his actors do several interviews,screenings,press conferences.I have read about. 15 interviews with the actors and director.I have read 4 interviews with Alfre Woodard,3 with Lupita several with the lead actors
Hell I just read two with Paul Giamatti this week.This is the first interview with Brad I have read

Wow – you got all that from a few lines? What a talent that you can read behind the lines and imagining things – maybe you should use that skill to save the world.

Lets get down to the facts – Brad joined forces with Steve to make a movie about slavery. They both searched for a good story and they (Steve’s wife) found Solomon’s book.

Many producers said no to this movie because Steve had two flops and they didnt want to take a risk on such a brutal story.

Two of their producers only agreed after Brad told that he will do a cameo (previously didnt plan to be in the movie at all).

Last but not least – hate to tell you but just by writing the name Brad Pitt – you get hits and people read those articles. Without Brad’s name and him giving interviews – no one in Hollywood would give this movie the credit it deserves. Sorry to say that but racism still exists in Hollywood and by just the lead and Steve doing the promotions – well it wont land them any nominations.

I have never seen Brad work this hard to get WWZ and 12 years a slave a hit. He knew that some people took a hit on his career and yet he didnt run and hide. He stood up to them and said if you want war – you got it. WWZ’s budget was $200 and yet it went to earn $540M and counting – the profits has doubled.

12 years a slave will earn a lot as well because not only is Brad a worldwide star but he made sure that it was received well in Hollywood. Brad is a very powerful man in Hollywood.

Yep! So agree! I don’t understand why Brad gets so much hate on here either. He works HARD for his successes (and he’s had a lot of them). He deserves it. And if he wants to be front and center promoting 12 Years, then he should do it because he’s obviously bring a LOT of publicity to the movie. Fassbender gets a lot of love on this site, but I’m sorry, he’s not going to bring the publicity to this movie like Brad Pitt will. I have asked many friends and family if they know who Fassbender is, and none of them do. He’s just not a big name. And sadly, the first time I heard of Chiwetel Ejiofor was on here. Sometimes a great movie in itself isn’t enough to make it big .

His production company has been involved with some very good films. I think calling it a garage band company that did little films is a bit of a stretch though- it was founded by a huge movie star, a huge tv star, and a successful producer who then soon after became the CEO of Paramount. Not exactly struggling upstarts fighting to get noticed. And their first few movies out of the gate were high profile, big budget.
I am looking forward to seeing this film, and hope there is more coverage of the stars of it too.

Actually he can. I don’t think Brad has the biggest IQ out there but he is very keen on history, culture, design and world events. I think he tries to be more cultured than his mid-west roots and thus challenges himself intellectually and culturally. This is what Jen was missing imo and why he felt a need to move on.

I’m happy the film is going to be a success but not bc of Brad—-bc we have very few movies about the slave experience told from the POV of black actors as opposed to a white POV.

With all due respect Brad….stand aside so we can talk about the actors of color in this movie. This project shouldn’t be about you. And if someone wins an Oscar for this movie it should be one of the actors of color.

Nono,
Sometimes I find your comments kind of enlightening (that may sound lame), and other times I loathe them. This time though, I am with you.
How about oh, I don’t know, the best actor or actress or producer or director win the award and we stop trying to fill quotas or create some faux appearance of equality. All that does is continue to separate and segregate persons (which, correct me if I am wrong, is kind of what you were saying).

I’m involved in the entertainment industry and lately the social justice stuff is way out of line. I could go ON AND ON AND ON about all the ridiculous complaints I’ve come across, but it all boils down to one thing: This entertainment isn’t the way I want it to be, and you’re not doing what I want you to do, let me complain at length about why you’re the most horrible person in the world for not catering to my every whim.

All of the complaints are premised on the idea that each group of people is a tribe unto its own and that the tribe of “white” and/or “male” and/or “straight” and/or “healthy” and/or “rich” has to grovel at minorities’ feet and do exactly as they say in order to make reparations.

Instead of seeing people as people, social justice types treat everyone as a collection of labels, and if your collection of labels are more “privileged” than another collection of labels, you’re expected to lay down and let everyone less privileged than you walk all over you.

As someone who’s bisexual and ethnic, I am SO OVER IT. It’s divisive, aggressive, and malicious. It’s not about progress or reconciliation or healing, it’s about being a sanctimonious bully who gets their way through force. It’s nothing less than outright abuse.

And finally: You have NO RIGHT to demand that a person creates anything other than what they’re creating, and NO RIGHT to decide how they conduct their business. NO RIGHT.

Brad knows exactly what he is doing. It takes a lot of courage… and patience to produce non-mainstream film.

He has the intestinal fortitude to fight for his projects.

If he “stood aside” as you have suggested, the movie would NOT have been made. Steve McQueen said as much. Perhaps you were unaware of this.

It is obvious given the paucity and presence of Black actors, directors AND producers even today in Hollywood that there racism still exists. You still have to get over the hurdle of funding. You still have to find/create material/storylines people are willing to go see.

To add to what the others have said (ie. no Brad, no movie), let me add: more Brad, more publicity. They want this movie to be seen by as many people as possible, and Brad’s name goes a long, long way in terms of promotion. Yes, the cast is stellar and yes, the film is apparently very good, but it’s his name that guarantees worldwide coverage across all channels and all markets. He knows this.

So basically, with this interview, he’s doing his job. He’s not trying to steal attention from the others. He’s trying to make sure the film and, as follows, everyone involved in it get the attention they deserve. Is he also angling for award nominations? Sure, but if the film he worked so hard to bring to the screen turns out to be as good the reviews say it is, then doesn’t he deserve them?

World War Z may have made more than 500 millions, but it is just braking even because of huge marketing and budget costs. So while it is not a flop and it will make more money on DVD and Blu-ray it is not a big hit either.

What I like about wwz is the underdog story themovie became, manypeoplewere chearing for more box office as they notice the finger thefilm gave the tabliods and bad buzz.
Even people who were not much into it they cheared forbrad efforts as they sensed that people behind it tried to makebetter versionofa movie was destained fordisaster. And brad got few points plus for saving that movie with his persistence.
We might agree or disagree on quality or boxoffice but as moneyball to me wwz was a homerun despite not winning the final task. 600 m due to china ban
Wwz created a story of success that most media talked about despite actual figures .iam happy for him he works his ass for his movies.

Movies that cost studios $200 million ($400 million including marketing, probably) are expected to gross at least a billion. Cinemas take 40% of profit. Right now, WWZ has paid its production costs, but still needs to pay its marketing costs. I don’t see DVD and Blu-Ray sales making up the deficit.

Either the studio is going to make a sequel to capitalise on the brand and recoup the money lost on the first movie, or they’ll file this venture under the Fail column and not risk another flop. We’ll see what happens.

@Nono: I dont know where you get your facts from? The movie was made by a budget of $190 and the marketing cost wasnt that high because Brad did all of it himself. He went straight to the public by appearing at the screenings. I dont know about you but that doesnt cost a lot.

No matter how hard you try to make WWZ look like a flop – it isnt. It passed the mark at $400 and everything after that is profits.

@nono and maya: nowadays, marketing for a movie like WWZ basically doubles the original budget. All those ads on tv, in magazines? They cost money. National ads, regional ads, billboards, signs, this stuff is expensive! Brad definitely got out and hustled, and we can easily say that made a difference in the success of that movie, but in this case success is measured by breaking even. And in a summer with massive, disasterous bombs like The Lone Ranger and After Earth, breakingeven is a perfectly acceptable result. They’re hoping to make real money with a sequel, which will have a much more manageable production.

I remember seeing a lot of adverts for it. I’ll take you at your word, so let’s assume they only spent another 50% of the production costs on marketing (which is unlikely for a movie that’s had so much money invested in it, but let’s roll with that number).

That would mean that the movie cost $300 million. That means the movie has to make ~$550 million to break even. Worldwide it’s grossed $540 million on big screens so far. I’m not familiar with the post-cinema market, but even if it makes $100 million there, it will just barely have recouped its costs.

Even if it makes a net profit of $100 million, the studios would still think it basically a failure considering the risk they took on.

WWZ stared making money at somewhere between $340-70 million dollars and clearly it has far surpassed that mark. it’s also doing VERY well in bluray/on-demand. So, Brad could have bought Angie that whole darn jewelry store if he wanted. Anybody who says it’s a flop is so blind with hate and tabloid logic, they can’t see or add straight.

Maya Brad didn’t do the marketing himself. He (and Angelina) carried the press tour, but that’s not the bit that costs big money. All the TV spots, the billboards, the online ads etc. that costs big money, and WWZ had one of the most relentless marketing campaigns this year. And they really pushed it in the foreign markets, more than usual. The marketing alone easily could have racked up $200mil, probably more. And studio’s always start straight up lying about big-budget’s when they get worried. I’d be more inclined to believe the initial estimates came closer to the mark.

WWZ likely hasn’t even broken even yet. But it did better than expected, and if they can make a sequel without it turning into another shit show, if they can do it for 60-70mil, they can likely make a lot of money off of that. But for that to work, WWZ has to look like a big success to movie-goers.

@Nono
I’ve never heard that a film has to gross 5x their production costs to be a hit. If that was the case, I guess HW shouldn’t stop making films because none make money.
I’ve always read it’s 2.5x the production cost to break even. So, that would mean WWZ needed to gross $475 mil to break even.

What HW studio do you know of that spends the same amount in Advertising?
MTKG/ADVTG in most cases are half the cost of production.

Now you add DVD/Blue Ray Sales/rentals, It was #1 in all Home Entertainment week ending 9/22. Again, Film expects say this is where big budgeted Movies really make their money since the studios get 65% on the sale. TV rights, I read Fox already bought the TV rights. WWZ is already a bona fide hit. Experts called it once it reached $500 mil WW.

From what I can tell, WWZ hasn’t even cracked the $30 million mark for DVD/Blu-ray sales.

30 + 540 = $570 million gross profit, at most

Marketing and advertising for blockbusters is typically once again the production costs of the movie, which means that WWZ has a stretch yet to go before it makes its money back. If those costs are only half again, then WWZ has just about made back its costs, which means it’ll make a few tens of millions in TV distribution deals, which still isn’t an unqualified win for the studio. If the costs are more, then it means the studio’s going to need a few more years to make a profit on the movie; this isn’t considered a success. (Waterworld eventually made its money back, too, after twelve years of TV airings and physical sales.)

Here we go again. There is no rule of thumb for studio/BO split with movies like WWZ. Unless you’ve seen the contract between the studio and the theaters you are just guessing. Based on precedent it’s probably safe to say that the BO split was at least 70/30 favoring the studio for at least the first week if not longer. The split slides toward the theater as the run continues but the biggest BO revenues are in the early weeks when the studios take the lion’s share of BO.

WWZ probably recovered its entire budget by week 3 if you include an early licensing fee it received.

Advertising and marketing for movies is not calculated per movie. It is calculated by a yearly budget for the entire film catalogue of that studio for that year.. It’s how they manipulate figures and how they can quickly move marketing money around depending on particular film’s needs. WWZ was getting tons of unpaid PR – good and bad – but it was on everyone’s radar.

Considering the bad news that ushered it in, 60/40 seems a more likely split for WWZ. And while each movie may not have a marketing budget in the strictest sense, the studio knows where the money went and which movie jeopardised their earnings.

TV screenings might finally get it into the profit margins. Again, even then, it’s not going to be considered a success.

Studios are not talking sequels if they haven’t made money on a film.
Prime Example, Kick Ass didn’t make its money at the Box Office but in DVD/Blue-Ray sales & Rentals. That’s why they made Kick Ass 2.
I read where Lara Croft Tomb Raider 2 production costs were $65Mil but the studio was only out of pocket $9 mil because they sold the international rights which covered the production cost.

So as Katherine stated you don’t know what deal the studio has in regard to WWZ. She’s right, the lion share as much as 90% of the box office goes to the studio the first couple of weeks.
That’s why it averages out to 55% to the studios.

This is a bit of a special situation, because WWZ wasn’t an outright failure, just a significant underperformer that would have done a lot better if not for mismanagement. It’ll make its money back, and perhaps eventually make the studio a “small” profit, but it’s not a clear success. Many probably consider it a failure, considering the risk the studio took on it and the “meagre” profits that will be made on it.

At this point the studio will decide whether there’s enough interest in a sequel, or whether it’s not worth yet more risk and that they should just sit it out and let the movie make what it makes and leave it at that.

Well WWZ and Man of Steel have had similar success and yet everyone is lauding MoS as a success, including the studio.

Technically MoS and WWZ made the exact same box office revenue/profit. MoS made 70 million in China and WWZ wasn’t allowed to open in China. So subtracting out China, MoS grossed 600 million Worldwide and WWZ grossed 540 million worldwide.

MoS had a 35 million higher production budget and since studios only get roughly half the revenue back, that means it needed an extra 70 million at the box office to justify this extra 35 million.

Thus MoS and WWZ made approximately the same amount of money when you adjust for things.

ALso notice that WWZ outgrossed MoS in Asia so if allowed to open in China, would have done more like 90 million compared to 70 million for MoS

I’ll also add that the Viacom CEO announced back in early August, that “Viacom will see ‘significant profitability’ in the current quarter from its recent films which include Star Trek Into Darkness and World War Z (credit: deadline.com).”

So then WWZ’s theatrical release was, in fact, very profitable for Paramount. And this announcement was made back in early August when WWZ hadn’t even completed it’s theatrical run yet. It was still making good money, both here and abroad, throughout the month of August. The movie has been profitable. I know it’s tough for the haters to hear, but as Brad himself says, “Game on f*ckers!”

Agree, G! He’s been around a long time and works hard, why can’t he enjoy some of his success? I think he’s a pretty humble guy, so I didn’t read him as gloating at all. Just pleased that his movie is doing so well.

Brad Pitt SHOULD have won a Best Supporting Actor for Snatch, and a Best Actor for Fight Club. Certainly he has been in some of the most iconic roles in my personal filmography. My Husband and I really enjoyed WWZ~we didn’t go for Oscar performances, we went to see zombies get shot up and for mankind to perservere in the end.

Even if WWZ makes a billion dollars people will still say its not a hit.As for chiwetel he’s a good actor but i’m having a hard time liking him-not that i hate him-because he was just too harsh on salt,and thats the first and only movie i’ve seen him in.

Chiwetel is amazing in Kinky Boots. He also plays a great character in Talk to Me and Dirty Pretty Things. Heck, I even loved him as the bad guy in Serenity…he also did a great job in Red Belt (kinda cheesy movie, but CE rocked it). No, Brad isn’t gloating, but, hey, there ALWAYS has to be negativity when it comes to Brad or Angie- if only they would just shop, tan, go clubbing, go to fashion shows, wear better clothes, and go on daily coffee runs, they would be so much more popular/accessible. Somebody should let them know. Seriously, supporting tough projects and struggling artists is yet another both Brad & Angie have in common and have been doing for YEARS- it’s beautiful.

@mccora: negativity will go the way of most actors or celebrities discussed here. I agree, posts about the Jolie Pitts generate lots of comments, both positive and negative. In here, though, the negative ones will be slaughtered.

My favorite is The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford (2007). Brad gave a haunting performance in that film and totally deserved an Oscar nom. He got robbed on that one in my opinion. That film just does not get the credit it deserves.

Nareeman- I can just speak only for myself but as far as I am concerned, you may bring up Keanu at any time, in any place. Were I to grab your arm and say “please, call 911 – I have been stabbed.” and you said “but first, can we talk a little about Point Break?” I would merely get a couple of towels and wait it out.

Exactly Bea!
And Brad proved to be above it all when he simply ignored the VF article. They want Brad to fail simply because he is with Angelina and he has become a better man since getting together with her. He has every right to gloat or shit on the people who tried really hard for the movie to fail! In the end he had the last laugh on the VF article.

Apparently, you think the oppression of a people, simply based on RACE, was not such a bad thing, huh???

Being treated like chattel and/or property was acceptable by man made law and the NORM. Rape was commonplace, and a Black woman nor her family had any right to defend her. Human and civil rights was strategically erased for captured and plantation-bred Africans for the purposes of involuntary, generational enslavement to produce jiffy-quick, economic generational wealth to the White settlers in the South.

And yes, this system was based on race alone, and not by aptitude nor choice.

Education for Africans was NOT ALLOWED. Why? Because the slaves just might work together and revolt. See all of the Haiti’s history in 1700s and 1800s.

If you learn anything else, learn that slavery was accomplished by brutal force and unthinkable violence.

Where in my comment did I say anything about the oppression, based on race, was a good thing!?! If one is going to TELL a story, tell it truthfully is all I am saying. There were parts of The Butler that were total fiction, only to sensationalize the story. I am hoping that was not done to 12 Years.

-

I certainly don’t need a history lesson as, it was my minor in college….

I was disgusted that you thought the Africans lived a life any less ugly than what you saw portrayed in The Butler, when they actually did and far worse. Exactly, what/which areas did you want correction since you saw it as “fiction”? What would make it more “factual” for you?

There was a reason slaves would risk death by running away. If they did not run away, the choices they had to make or choices made for them speaks to the pure lack of civility for mankind in that era.

The cruel practice of slavery still stands as one of the ugliest backbones of the United States that spanned over 200 years. Read more books about slavery from the SLAVES’ perspective, or talk to relatives who are descendents of slaves and THEY can tell you how Black women and men were forced into submission by any means necessary. In fact, I KNOW many stories worst than The Butler.

The Butler is based on a book, but by now you know when it is adapted into a movie, it becomes something more artistic. Now if you get lost between artistic expression and the human experience…

I have read good critiques about what Steve McQueen did to this movie (and critics agree). There is a focus to concentrate on a man’s will to survive forced enslavement and how he used his spirit to drive him to a return of a life to make his own choices.

The main character “escaped” in the end. I hope to see some focus about the character development of the slave, the quality of life to be born in and end life as a slave, never ever knowing what freedom looks or feels like.

I actually read that interview last night–I thought it was pretty good. It started at the other Brad (Grey??) leaving, which coincided shortly before or after with him and Jennifer getting a divorce–and then his other partner (a woman, whose name I can’t remember) around that time (so think Fall 2005) kept getting calls from pretty much all the producers in Hollywood saying that the company was going to fold–because a lot of them felt that Brad was a producer for the vanity of it all.

You know to say, I’m Brad Pitt, actor and producer…..so they had a meeting and he said that no, they weren’t folding, and that they would keep working. Brad paid for all of their salaries, out of pocket. They also talked about how his films were financial failures, but critical hits–the majority of them. And then the article went into the crap with WWZ–how Vanity Fair was writing it off, how everyone in Hollywood was saying that it’d be the summer POS–wouldn’t make any money, would bankrupt them, etc.

And then they went into 12 YAS–and how it would “only” cost them four million less than what the reshoots for WWZ had cost them..

I’m a little hazy on the article’s intimate details, but I thought it was good. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Vanity Fair write all that crap about WWZ because of the Johnny Depp movie (the name escapes me now)? Disney owns something with Vanity Fair, or something like that…

Because I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like the way they were tearing WWZ apart before it even came out, or finished filming.

The only movie I’ve read a VF article like that about was the making of Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra. I don’t know that I would call it a Disney sanctioned hit piece, my personal theory is that Graydon Carter saw an easy target and went for it, since VF has been on the downslope of dead celebrities or gentle puff pieces. WWZ could have been an easy way for Carter to go for some street cred.

Plus, a lot of people were legitimately pissed at what Plan B did to that movie. The original WWZ script was a blacklist script that many thought perfectly encapsulated the book as-is. WWZ was a book that revolutionized the zombie genre, and had the potential to utterly revolutionize the movie genre – needless to say, it had a lot of fans. And then Pitt and Plan B changed everything for the movie. EVERYTHING. Down to making the zombies fast instead if slow. That really ticked people off.

I read the book- LOVED it as did my husband. He is not a big Brad fan like me, so he was prepared to dislike the film version, but really, really liked it. He took our kids & their friends 2 additional times- gleefully! In you haven’t read it, the book is a series of 50-60 interviews describing how the zombie war came to be- that could never have been made into a successful 2 hour movie.

Brad & Angie have no PR, so all sorts of media trash them with no regard to the truth- it’s awful, but, they are both so hard-working and dignified, their actions rise above the lies. I read the book, all the other online scripts, and saw the movie- I was surprised at how much I loved the movie. The other scripts had some merits and some not so great stuff- what I saw in theater was 1000 times better than any of the scripts. That could be due to the casting, art direction/effects, music, etc., but, clearly a lot of people agree. WWZ is also doing great in dvd & on-demand, so the love continues

@mccora: apparently the original script did an excellent job of distilling a book that had been considered un-adaptable. Word was, with that script this was going to be the zombie movie that would win an Oscar. And then Pitt and Plan B re-wrote the entire thing, and there was that poorly run film shoot.

Personally, I like Pitt and I like a lot of the movies he’s done, and I really enjoy that he does a lot of interesting work. I’m just explaining why people are so pissed off about WWZ.

Well it didn’t much matter to me because I hadn’t read the book, or had even heard about it before this movie came out.

But just from hearing about the book, I was a bit boggled about how they would turn those interviews into a movie…..I’d love to read the script that could–so I honestly don’t see how you can follow the book.

I read the book and saw the film a few times. Loved them both! For the book purists: it’s quite possible the sequel may follow the book more closely, as the book is basically survivor stories (vignettes) from the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse, while the movie showcased the zombie apocalypse itself with a brief look into the aftermath at the very end. So you could say that the movie served as a prequel. Just my opinion, but however they decide to script the sequel, I’m looking forward to it!

Maybe because I just watch his movies and don’t care about his personal life, I have no ill feelings toward him.

I really don’t see how he’s gloating when the article features Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner’s involvement as prominently.
To me it’s about the company and the article actually says that he doesn’t spend much time on set as a producer, he just creates the space for Dede and Jeremy to push projects they’re passionate about.

I really don’t see how that’s gloating.

Also, from the blogs I’ve seen, he only participated in the Toronto film festival for the 1st day (when they shot this cover and did the interview) then left.
So again, I don’t get how he’s hogging the spotlight when he’s literally done 1 day of promotion.

I licked WWZ it was scary and smart without being gross and bloody. As far as his personal life, he is in a long term relationship with the mother of his children….I don’t read wildness in his lifestyle. Yes he cheated a long time ago. Move on people

I feel sorry for Angelina, she could do so much better, especially intellectually. He’s become as insufferable as Goopy. I wonder what the celebrity gossip world would look like if they’d stayed together.

You shouldn’t feel sorry for Angelina jolie when you know nothing about Brad other than what you read in the tabloids and gossip sites. They are happy, in love and very successful and contented together!

Andrea – newsflash, we’re all on here commenting on gossip, it’s a gossip site. You clearly have inside information, maybe you’re part of their inner circle.
Still think Angelina could do so much better.

Meljia – I’m basing my opinion on his media interviews. I have no idea where he was brought up, neither did I mention or compare him to BBT.

No you said Angelina could do better intellectually. Brad certainly is as smart as her past two husbands. What gives you the idea that she is so much smarter? If you read enough past articles to draw conclusions that Angelina could do so much better. ( yout words) you know his background.

Angie seems happy enough. I’m sure she gets her intellectual stimulation elsewhere. It’s not a bad plan on her part: one shouldn’t expect one’s spouse to be one’s whole world. Brad seems a decent enough guy (though I personally find him extremely irritating), and I have a feeling he worships the ground she walks on, and rightfully so.

Let’s see, Brad is a self-made A-list international star that can get movies made on just his name alone. He’s been in this business for nearly 30 years and has made a place for himself among the most sought after actors on the planet. In my opinion, it takes a great deal of smarts to get to where Brad Pitt is.

I am not his biggest fan but Brad has done well as a producer. Steve Mqueen said that his new movie wouldnt have happened if it wasnt for Pitt so i think its awesome he is putting his weight behind some projects that otherwise would have a hard time being funded.

Kaiser,Its not true that the buzz is about the whole movie. Its really about chiwetels performance and a few others. I have seen so many reviews that hails it as an astounding performance the best of the year. Also Chiwetel is in every scene more or less how can you not honour the actor who is in every scene if you are gonna honour the movie? That would be thoroughly weird.

I didn’t get gloating from that at all. And I wouldn’t expect the entertainment media to play fair at all…they will throw their grandmother under the bus if they think it’ll get them exclusive interviews with perceived stars. Entertainment tv is so insipid, I no longer watch. Plus, I think a lot of the entertainment media were really hoping that WWZ would fail…they were all jumping on the bandwagon, hoping to be the first to have THE story about how a big movie star was going to fail big time with this movie. What a great story that would be. And now the laugh is on them.
That being said, I started reading WWZ this summer and my goodness, after the first 1/2, it gets to be a bit of a slog. I’ll finish eventually, but I’m amazed someone wanted to make a movie based on it. On the other hand, I don’t blame Pitt for changing the way the story unfolds (haven’t seen the movie yet, but will). I can’t imagine a movie using the format of the book’s structure…imo, it would be unwatchable, or at least, wouldn’t be a hit for the majority of the audience. Look at Memento…GREAT movie, but its structure did not work for most.

LOL at Maggie’s comment that “Brad looked rough” in WWZ. Let’s see, he fought zombies in Philly and Newark while struggling to keep his wife and kids alive in the process; he then flew to South Korea and Israel and fought more zombies; then survived a plane crash en route to Wales, where he fought even more zombies, while carrying the responsibility of having to solve the global pandemic all on his own. Yeah, don’t know why he looked so rough. Have no idea what the film crew was thinking (eye roll).

Ok, the last pic kinda killed my ‘Fassbender is super-handsome’ belief. Fassy, be more friendly to the photoshop techs.
Also, Lupita looks elegant. She needs to become a movie star, stat. Lovely necklace!

Brad does one magazine cover (with a WAY under-appreciated actor he’s trying to support in a movie he worked REALLY HARD to get made) and he’s gloating/trolling for an Oscar- huh. What about every other celebrity that does 100 times more interviews, tv shows, and paid appearances- are they trolling for Oscars, too? Clooney, Damon, Affleck, Cruise, and every twilighty Hemsworth dude are campaigning 24/7 since they NEVER stop being on magazines, going for coffee and being on lameo chat shows. Brad doesn’t even have any PR, so he’s not doing a very good job of campaigning.

Seriously, don’t see the gloat in the excerpts or in the full article. He could’ve been gloaty and threw some serious shade at VF for their continual attempts at hit jobs (the 2005 Aniston interview, misappropriation of a still from an art exhibit, and recently the WWZ piece). Unless someone wanted to use Brad eating Japanese food with Shiloh and Zahara on WWZ’s opening weekend as the unequivocal sign of a gloat, then I suggest that these people use their reach ability to grab the cure for cancer and AIDS from a parallel dimension instead of wasting it on Pitt.

Also, I have a feeling that Pitt will resume his initial pose for promotion and let the cast, McQueen, and even Skip Gates take over the promotion of 12YAS. Sure, he may pop up, but I don’t think that he will pull a Clooney/Oprah/Tyler Perry and become the face of a movie that they weren’t a part of film from the film’s inception.

I actually think Leslie Bennetts got seriously played by Aniston in that 2005 VF piece. Aniston made a fool out of LB and VF in the process. Notice how she hasn’t had a VF cover story since? At least to my knowledge. They learned their lesson, the hard way.

The sad thing is Jennifer Aniston and Huvane should be KISSING Leslie’s ass, and kneeling at her feet for that VF article. About a year ago, when I was looking into how the whole Brad/Angelina/Jennifer situation happened–I read the VF article, and watched this interview that Leslie did with Diane Sawyer about it (you can look it up on youtube–for some reason it says “Jennifer Aniston opens up about her divorce…”–even though it isn’t Jennifer.

But anyway, Leslie was PISSED. I mean, she had that look on her face, the tone of her voice whenever she talked about Brad and/or Angelina. I mean, the way she was talking about the whole thing, I would’ve thought that Brad was HER soon to be ex husband–I mean Leslie took up and defended Jennifer to the death.

Add that to those “I don’t go there–Vogue went tabloid!” remarks…..yeah.

I have yet to meet anyone who like WWZ, the movie. People checked it out because he went on an all out media blitz with post-mastectomy Angie and it worked. I don’t know if that makes him a great producer, but it got people to the theater to see a crappy movie.

I enjoyed it. I didn’t expect it to follow the book. The book was really more a collection of vignettes than a novel. The movie was well written and well acted. You may prefer rom-coms but to each his/her own.

@toto,i’m happy i’m not the only one.Changeling made me cry my eyeballs out and i’m not a very emotional person.I watched it on my laptop in my room and kept yelling “please! Just tell her if you killed her son or not”,everyone in the house thought i was going mad.I don’t know why but that movie touched me.

Awwww and how would you know that? Guessing you had a heart to heart conversation with him? This is his first major interview for TYAS and you are already saying he is campaigning hard! I guess from now on anything he does and says will be treated as an oscar campaign too.. Rolls eyes!

I love brad, he is not bragging, but he should/could, he’s proud, and humble. he certainly is under rated, very savvy in the industry, his looks are nice, but he is not just another pretty face, he has substance, it’s sexy on brad.